# The Easter Bunny Is Risen. Alleluia! **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [March 23, 2006, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-easter-bunny-is-risen-alleluia/349584 "2006-03-23T14:10:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2006, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-easter-bunny-is-risen-alleluia/349584/1 "2006-03-23T14:10:16Z")
In the latest display of PC carried to the point of self-parody, the [Saint Paul City Council](http://www.grandforks.com/mld/grandforks/14167418.htm) has banned an Easter display that contains[ul][li]No reference to the Resurrection [_]No reference to Christianity [_]No reference to Jesus, the church, or God whatsoever [_]a stuffed bunny and pastel-colored eggs[/ul]out of a fear that it will offend. [/li] Points for debate:[ul][li]Considering that rabbits as a fertility symbol that pre-dates Christianity, in what sense can the Easter Bunny be considered an offensive Christian display? [_]Eggs are commonly associated with a number of spring festivals. How, therefore, can this be considered even remotely offensive? In what sense is this an imposition of religion when it makes no religious references at all? [/ul][/li] One would assume, therefore, that the offensive part is the word “Easter” in this privately made, non-publicly funded display. On the same grounds, therefore, the state can ban any mention of “Merry Christmas”, “Happy Hannukah”, “Monday”, “Tuesday”, “Wednesday”, Santa Claus, “good-bye”, or any other word or phrase that is or once was associated with any religious belief. Basically, WTF? Is this the first shot in a war on Easter, or another shot in the PC war on (some) religious practices in general? Ann Coulter says (in her recent book _How to Talk to a Liberal (If You Really Must)_ that PC only tolerates religous symbols which are disrepectful. A crucifix in urine or a statue of the Blessed Virgin with pornographic pictures and dung is fine - fake grass and Easter eggs are an abomination. I reiterate - WTF? Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2006, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-easter-bunny-is-risen-alleluia/349584/2 "2006-03-23T14:14:07Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > Ann Coulter says (in her recent book _How to Talk to a Liberal (If You Really Must)_ that PC only tolerates religous symbols which are disrepectful. A crucifix in urine or a statue of the Blessed Virgin with pornographic pictures and dung is fine - fake grass and Easter eggs are an abomination. How about a crucified bunny? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Malacandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2006, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-easter-bunny-is-risen-alleluia/349584/3 "2006-03-23T14:16:33Z")
The bit about the rabbit and the eggs reminds me of the following piece of dialogue, quoted from _Reader’s Digest_ about thirty years ago. Wife (sorting eggs, finding a speckled one): The Easter Bunny must have laid this one! Husband (from behind newspaper): Yes, I suppose she must. Wife: I thought the Easter Bunny was a he? Husband (looking over reading glasses): Honey, it’s hard enough for a rabbit to lay eggs, without being male as well. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e480ec/32.png) [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Least_Original_User_Name_Ever)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2006, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-easter-bunny-is-risen-alleluia/349584/4 "2006-03-23T14:28:32Z")
they might be taking it too far, but they can. they put em up, they can put take them down. we are starting a debate about ornaments, right? i mean, it’s not like we’re actually taking easter off the calendar or making it illegal to say the word “easter”, right? give 10 or 15 years and hindsight, and some people are going to look awfully stupid blathering about a war on any holiday. people like holidays. for the most part, they could care less about some symbol. besides, some time waaaaaay back, someone associated pastel eggs with easter and that didn’t just happen overnight. maybe this is just holiday evolution with something being phased out and something new maybe taking its place. if that IS the case, then it’s merely people wanting to hold onto old traditions. that’s not necessarily a bad thing, but it does seem…(for lack of a better word) infantile to complain/whine/make a big fuss about it. upon reflection, maybe “trite” could replace “infantile” ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2006, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-easter-bunny-is-risen-alleluia/349584/5 "2006-03-23T15:06:13Z")
The real problem St. Paul has with Easter celebrations is that they haven’t figured out how to justify standing around in a beer garden, drinking beer and eating brats. Every other wild-ass holiday anybody comes up with, so long as it involves beer and sausages, is perfectly fine. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2006, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-easter-bunny-is-risen-alleluia/349584/6 "2006-03-23T15:15:35Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > InAnn Coulter says (in her recent book _How to Talk to a Liberal (If You Really Must)_ that PC only tolerates religous symbols which are disrepectful. A crucifix in urine or a statue of the Blessed Virgin with pornographic pictures and dung is fine - fake grass and Easter eggs are an abomination. While I agree bans on Easter bunnies are blindingly stupid, Coulter is full of shit, as usual. Weird art like the crucifix in urine bit is not generally displayed on government buildings. The ACLU is opposed to religion sponsored by government, not religion sponsored by an art gallery. . ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2006, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-easter-bunny-is-risen-alleluia/349584/7 "2006-03-23T15:31:12Z")
To say the the Easter Bunny has nothing to do with Easter is overstating things, innit? I mean, it is the EASTER bunny, after all. Ok, it may perhaps have been appropriated from some nebulous pagan religion (real scholarship is scant on details about pre-Christian religions, though we neopagans like to pretend otherwise and take credit for them - gives us cache as an oppressed people, you see.) But even if the Easter bunny is a direct descendant of Oestara’s Rabbits of old, that just means he’s a _descendant_. In this day, in this culture, he represents Easter. And Easter is a particular holiday of a particular religion. Which shouldn’t be alone on a gov’ment lawn. Let me put up a few pentacles next to your bunny and eggs, let the Jews put up a few Passover decorations (lamb’s blood on lintels, perhaps?), let the Agnostics put up a huge question mark - now we’re talking. It becomes educational, not endorsement. IMHO, anyway. ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2006, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-easter-bunny-is-risen-alleluia/349584/8 "2006-03-23T15:32:17Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > In the latest display of PC carried to the point of self-parody, the [Saint Paul City Council](http://www.grandforks.com/mld/grandforks/14167418.htm) has banned an Easter display that contains[ul][li]No reference to the Resurrection [_]No reference to Christianity [_]No reference to Jesus, the church, or God whatsoever [\*]a stuffed bunny and pastel-colored eggs[/ul]out of a fear that it will offend. [/li] > Points for debate Should an OP that deliberately misinterprets an event be allowed to stand as a testament to ignorance or mendacity? From the story: > [@](#): > > The display - a cloth bunny, pastel-colored eggs and a sign with the words “Happy Easter” - were put up by a City Council secretary. They weren’t purchased with city money. > Tyrone Terrill, the city’s human rights director, asked that the decorations be removed. Terrill said no citizen had complained to him. > Council Member Dave Thune called it a shame. The bunny was put up by a private citizen, not the city, although the citizen is an employee of the city. The bunny was ordered removed by an individual, the HR director, not by order of the city council. The only member of the city council mentioned by the story opposed the action. The incident looks to me as though it is a single case of one over-sensitive person acting to pre-empt possible complaints before they show up on his desk. I would judge his action to be an hyper-sensitive overreaction to a _potential_ event that looks silly on the face of it. Before we debate the “PC” issue in the context of _government_ actions, I suggest we find out whether the legislating body named in the OP actually takes any action. ---
**Author:** ![Menocchio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de053/32.png) [@Menocchio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Menocchio)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2006, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-easter-bunny-is-risen-alleluia/349584/9 "2006-03-23T15:32:57Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > While I agree bans on Easter bunnies are blindingly stupid, Coulter is full of shit, as usual. Weird art like the crucifix in urine bit is not generally displayed on government buildings. The ACLU is opposed to religion sponsored by government, not religion sponsored by an art gallery. > . I agree with your general sentiment, but it’s not quite as simple as that. Many museums are partially funded from the government. I don’t know if Piss Christ was shown in such a venue, but I recall the elephant dung Madonna was. In other respects, I agree with LOUNE. ---
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2006, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-easter-bunny-is-risen-alleluia/349584/10 "2006-03-23T15:43:40Z")
… to render a judgement on this case! Our children might be irreperably harmed by such a blatant Christian display on public property! Heck, it might offend a muslim! I’m still steaming about the Christmas lights my town put up! ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2006, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-easter-bunny-is-risen-alleluia/349584/11 "2006-03-23T15:44:30Z")
> [@](#): > > Let me put up a few pentacles next to your bunny and eggs, let the Jews put up a few Passover decorations (lamb’s blood on lintels, perhaps?), let the Agnostics put up a huge question mark - now we’re talking. It becomes educational, not endorsement. IMHO, anyway. The Agnostic Bunny only brings really _good_ chocolate. No hard-boiled eggs or marshmallow peeps. Maybe we should consider a chocolate question mark. There’d be a lot of converts. ---
**Author:** ![XaMcQ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/f9ae1b/32.png) [@XaMcQ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XaMcQ)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2006, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-easter-bunny-is-risen-alleluia/349584/12 "2006-03-23T16:09:28Z")
A dumb move on the part of a few individuals. But it reminded me of a story of equal and or greater idiocy from the opposite end of the culture war spectrum that I read about two years ago, where a church put on a very disturbing Easter play where they broke eggs and whipped the Easter Bunny, in front of a mixed audience with small children who had apparently been expecting an Easter egg hunt after the service. And if you want to have a reasoned debate, kindly don’t cite Ann The Lying, Vicious, Crazy Bitch Coulter. [AP link](http://www.post-gazette.com/breaking/20040407bunnyp4.asp) ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2006, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-easter-bunny-is-risen-alleluia/349584/13 "2006-03-23T16:25:11Z")
> [@](#): > > Before we debate the “PC” issue in the context of _government_ actions, I suggest we find out whether the legislating body named in the OP actually takes any action. Since both the employee who put up the display and the Human Rights director who directed that it be taken down are both government employees, and since the display was put up on government property, we have already established the part about _government_ actions, thankyouverymuch. The director of human rights is a representative of the city of St. Paul. Did you care to dispute that, or do you argue that only legislators are bound by the First Amendment, and therefore teachers (for example) are free to proselytize their students? My other response to you is [here.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=7225175#post7225175) Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2006, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-easter-bunny-is-risen-alleluia/349584/14 "2006-03-23T16:25:57Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > The Agnostic Bunny only brings really _good_ chocolate. No hard-boiled eggs or marshmallow peeps. Maybe we should consider a chocolate question mark. There’d be a lot of converts. But we have an Agnostic Easter Bunny. He hides Hard Boiled eggs that the Kids and I decorate. He brings great Chocolate and Jelly Beans from Criterion Chocolates a small local Chocolate Factory and the kids enjoy the Holiday without the religious overtones. I will explain what Easter represents and talk about it the same way I talk about other Ancient Myths and legends. We celebrate Christmas and Santa / Father Christmas with Hanukkah the same way. They understand what the candles represent and that Santa celebrates the triumph of Capitalism over other economic systems. 😉 **Shodan** , you have appeared to have misrepresented the article in your op. Was this with intent or by accident? Do you really respect anything that comes from **Ann Coulter**? Jim ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2006, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-easter-bunny-is-risen-alleluia/349584/15 "2006-03-23T16:31:36Z")
> [@XaMcQ](#): > > A dumb move on the part of a few individuals. But it reminded me of a story of equal and or greater idiocy from the opposite end of the culture war spectrum that I read about two years ago, where a church put on a very disturbing Easter play where they broke eggs and whipped the Easter Bunny, in front of a mixed audience with small children who had apparently been expecting an Easter egg hunt after the service. New crossover! **Watership Down** and **Passion of the Christ!** 🙂 (Current crossover threads in CS: > **[Evil, twisted, and just plain \*wrong\* crossovers you'd like to see](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=364147)** > > Inspired by the comic book crossover thread, i figured it’d also be fun to make some crossover threads that would just be plain…wrong… for example have Barney the insipid purple dinosaur meet the following fates; Barney Vs. Jason Barney moves into... [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=364118](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=364118)) ---
**Author:** ![tagos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@tagos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tagos)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2006, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-easter-bunny-is-risen-alleluia/349584/16 "2006-03-23T16:31:44Z")
Will this inhuman persecution of Christians never end. This is clearly what the Third Secret of Fatima was referring to. :rolleyes: Is everything so woop-di-doo in The Land of The Free that all that’s left to get upset about is pissant shit like this? ---
**Author:** ![Enginerd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/bcef8e/32.png) [@Enginerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enginerd)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2006, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-easter-bunny-is-risen-alleluia/349584/17 "2006-03-23T16:33:27Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > The Agnostic Bunny only brings really good chocolate. No hard-boiled eggs or marshmallow peeps. Maybe we should consider a chocolate question mark. There’d be a lot of converts. Evangelical agnosticism? “I don’t know, and you shouldn’t either!” ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2006, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-easter-bunny-is-risen-alleluia/349584/18 "2006-03-23T16:33:27Z")
[QUOTE=Shodan] Points for debate:[ul][li]Considering that rabbits as a fertility symbol that pre-dates Christianity, in what sense can the Easter Bunny be considered an offensive Christian display?[/ul][/li][/QUOTE] I don’t know about the rest of it, but that one is bad analogics. The swastika as a holy symbol in Buddhism, Hinduism, and Jainism pre-dates Nazism, so in what sense can the Nazi flag be considered an offensive Buddhist display? ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2006, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-easter-bunny-is-risen-alleluia/349584/19 "2006-03-23T16:35:28Z")
> [@What Exit?](#): > > Do you really respect anything that comes from **Ann Coulter**? You have to ask? I wouldn’t be surprised if **Shodan** has her _Time_-cover pic taped up on the inside of his locker. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2006, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-easter-bunny-is-risen-alleluia/349584/20 "2006-03-23T16:37:37Z")
> [@](#): > > Evangelical agnosticism? “I don’t know, and you shouldn’t either!” No, that’s Militant Agnosticism. Chocolate Question Marks is evangelism by stealth. Actually, the point of agnostic witnessing is that you don’t _care_ if anyone comes over to your way of thinking. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-easter-bunny-is-risen-alleluia/349584.md?page=2)